Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “foghorn” come from?

foghorn (English) comes from English horn, from Middle English horn, from Old English horn, from Proto-West Germanic horn, from Proto-Germanic hurną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer-, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-, from Proto-Indo-European ker- — army.

foghorn (English): A very loud low-pitched horn, used especially in...

Definitions

  1. A very loud low-pitched horn, used especially in...

Ancestry of “foghorn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhornA hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the...
2Middle EnglishhornA horn; A jutting or projecting extremity of...
3Old Englishhornhorn; gable
4Proto-West Germanichornhorn
5Proto-Germanichurnąhorn
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
8Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker- →